Automatic fire-extinguishing apparatus.



L, VAN AUKEN; AUTOMATIC FIRE EXTINGUiSHING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED OOT.5, 1912. 1,078,388, Patented Nov. 11, 1913.

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WI T NESSE S L. VAN AUKEN. AUTOMATIC FIRE nxmeuxsame APPARATUS. APPLIOATION FILED 00T.5, 1912. 7 3 Patented Nov. 11, 1913.

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LANSING VAN AUKEN, or warnavmn'r, new roux.

AUTOMATIC FIRE-EXTINGUISHING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 11, 1913.

Application filed October 5, 1912. $eria1No. 724,075.

To all whom it may concern a. citizen of the United States, residing at VVatervliet, in the county of Albany and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic FireExtinguishing Apparatus, of which the following is a specification. I

My invention relates to improvements in automatic fire extinguishing apparatus and more particularly to a dry pipe system designed to be installed permanently in a building or other structure to protect the same from lire.

'The object of the invention is to provide means whereby a fluid tight working cont-act is formed, between the water inlet valve and the air chamber, and. means whereby the force of contact between said valve and said air chamber is increased by the introduction of compressed air into said air chamber, thereby clamping said valve there-' in or, if said valve is clamped in the said air chamber, automatically. decreasing the force of contact between said valve and said chamber, by exhausting the air from said chamber, and thereby releasing said valve from said chamber.

A further object is'to provide means, oper'ated automatically by air and water pressure for controlling the supply of water from the water supply pipe or main to the distributing pipes. I Y

A still further object is toprovide an apparatus which is simple, inexpensive and durable in construction and easy and. efl'ective in operation. 0,

Referring to the draw1ngs:-Fi gure 1, is

a fragmentary side viewof my invention,

showing one floor of a building with my invention applied. Fig. 2, avertical fragmentary sectional view, on an enlarged scale showing the water supply pipe, water distributing pipe, air pipe, air chamber, expander and valve. Fig. 3, a detail vertical sectional view of the valve and-expander. Fig. 4,-a detail top plan view of the valve and expander. Fig. 5, a detail view of the fusible connections for the air and water 51% distributing .pipes.

, 1n the drawings, in which like reference with a city main, tank or other water supply, Be it known that I, LANSING VAN AUKEN,

not shown, 2 an air chamber situated above the mouth of the pipe 1, and forming practically a continuation of said pipe, 3 water distributing pipes connected to the water supply pipe and extending laterally from a point between the water supply pipe and air chamber. The water distributing pipes 3 are provided with a series of sprinklers 4, of any well known construction, which are normally closed by being sealed with a material which is sensitive to a rise in temperature, such for instance as fusible solder 5, and drain cocks 6 are provided for draining the water distributing pipes if at any time it should become necessary.

Pipes 7 are provided for supplying air to the air chamber 2 and are connected therewith and extend parallel with the water distributing pipes 3 throughout the building or other structure to be protected from fire and short pipes 8 extenddownward from the pipes 7, in' close proximity to the sprinkers, their ends being sealed by fusible solder 9, similar to that used for sealing thesprinklers, and when the sprinklers are unsealed or opened, by. thefusing ofthe 'solder 5 thereon, due to the rise in temperature caused by the heat produced by a fire, the solder 9 on the ends of the pipes 8 will also be fused, automatically, and air will exhaust through them from the air chamber. The pipes 7 are provided with valves 10, similar in construction to the well known tire valves, through which air is forced, by a pump or other means, into and through said pipes into the air chamber and compressed therein and pressure gages 11 are provided in pipes 7 to indicatet-he air pressure'in said pipes and the air chamber.

A .valve 12 is provided for controlling the passage-of water from the supply pipes to the distributing pipes and comprises, an upper head 18, which closely fits the interior of the chamber 2, a lower head 14 which is beveled at 15 and seats in a beveled seat 16 formed in the mouth of the water supply pipe and a shank 17 which connects heads 13 and 14;. l

A cup-shaped resilient washer 18 is mounted on the top of the upper head 13, an expander 19 comprising a beveled plate 20 is seated within the said cup-shaped washer with its beveled portion engaging said washer, and a spiral spring 21, one end secured to the upper head 13 of the valve and the other end secured to the expander plate 20, normally keeps said washer in working contact with the inner surface of the air chamber 2.

If desired a liquid 22, such for instance as heavy oil, may be placed in the air chamber 2, above the valve, for the purpose of making said chamber air tight.

An automatic electric alarm system is provided the circuit of which is normally open and adapted to be closed, by the opening of the valve, to sound said alarm, said system consisting of a spring contact 23, secured to an insulating block 24:, mounted on the shank of the valve 12, insulating screw 25 screwed into the water distributing pipe 3, a battery 26, bell 27, Wire 28, conecting the spring contact 23 with the bell 27, a wire 29 connecting the bell with the battery 26 and a wire 30 connecting the battery with the water pipe 3.

In the event that the apparatus is to be installed and used in a locality where the weather is very cold or severe I will place the air chamber and valve in a place where the temperature is such that they will not freeze and as the distributing pipes are normally empty and dry they can be arranged inside or outside of a building, even though the temperature is at the freezing point, and there will not be anything to freeze therein which would not be the case if water or other liquid was in said pipes.

The operation is as follows :It being assumed that the valve 12 is closed, thereby intcrrupting communication between the water supply pipe 1 and the water distributing pipes 8, the holes in the sprinklers 41 sealed by the fusible material and the head 13 of the valve in working contact with the interior of the air chamber 2, oil is introduced into said chamber and thereafter air is introduced into said chamber, through the pipes 7, and compressed therein whereupon the expander 19 will be forced farther within the cup-shaped washer 18, against the action of the spring 21, increasing the contact between the washer and the interior of the air chamber 2 and thus clamping the valve within the chamber and rendering said chamber air tight. VWith the several parts of the apparatus in the positions as above described, upon a fire occurring in the building or other structure in which the'apparatus is installed the solder or other material sealing the sprinklers 4 and air pipes 7 will be fused, whereupon air will be automatically exhausted fromtheair chamber 2 through the pipes 7, thus withdrawing the pressure on the expander and allowing the spring 21 to force the expander upward, thereby decreasing the contact between the washer 18 and the chamber 2 and restoring the normal working contact between the washer and the interior of the air chamber. Upon the valve being released the force of the water in the water supply pipe will raise said valve, establishing communication between said water supply pipe and water distributing pipes, whereupon water will pass through the water distributing pipes 3 and out through the sprinklers onto the fire and the valve will close the circuit of the alarm system and sound the alarm.

I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the details of construction and arrangement as herein described and illustrated, as it is manifest that variations and modifications may be made in the features of construction and arrangement in the. adaptation of the device to various conditions of use without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention and improvements. I therefore reserve the right to all such variations and modifications as properlv fall within the scope of my invention and the terms of the following claims.

What I claim is 1. In an automatic fire extinguishing apparatus, water distributing pipes, an air chamber, air supply pipes, a valve in said air chamber controlling the supply of water to the water distributing pipes, an expansible member and an expanding member therefor on said valve and means normally forcing them apart, substantially as described.

2. In an automatic fire extinguishing apparatus, water distributing pipes, an air chamber, air supply pipes, a valve in said air chamber controlling the supply of water to the water distributing pipes, an expansible member and an expanding member therefor and compressible means normally forcing them apart, substantially as described.

3. In an automatic fire extinguishing apparatus, water distributing pipes, an air chamber, air supply pipes, a valve in said air chamber, a head on said valve, a expansible member and an expanding member therefor on said head, means normally forcing them apart and another head on said valve controlling the supply of water to the water distributing pipes, substantially as described.

4. In an automatic fire extinguishing apparatus, water distributing pipes, an air chamber, pipes independent of the Water distributing pipes having outlets sealed by fusible material and communicating with the air chamber and adapting air to be suppliedto and exhausted from said air chamber, a valve having upper and lower heads, the lower head controlling the supply of water to the distributing pipes and the upper head located in the air chamber, a resilient washer on said upper head, a plate for expanding said washer and resilient means interposed between the washer and plate, allowing the name in the presence of two subscribing witsaid plate to be moved toward said washer nesses.

to cla p the valve to the air chamber and l I autoni si tically moving said plate from said LANSING VAN AUKEN' 5 washer when released from pressure and re- Witnesses:

' leasing the valve, substantially as described. JOSEPH W. KUFER,

In testimony wlfereqf I have signed my LESTER T. HUBBARD. 

